﻿Cocoon 
  Softening 
  in 
  some 
  Agrotids. 
  439 
  

  

  The 
  interval, 
  then, 
  that 
  occurs 
  in 
  these 
  Noctuids 
  during 
  

   which 
  the 
  moth 
  lies 
  absolutely 
  inert, 
  is 
  rather 
  unusual 
  than 
  

   otherwise. 
  The 
  triangular 
  or 
  akimbo 
  attitude 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  

   noticed 
  in 
  other 
  cases 
  of 
  cocoon 
  softening. 
  

  

  The 
  elbows 
  (or 
  knees) 
  must 
  press 
  against 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  

   the 
  cocoon, 
  and 
  so 
  maintain 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  moth 
  against 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  cocoon, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  fluid 
  at 
  once 
  comes 
  in 
  

   contact 
  with 
  it. 
  On 
  the 
  softening 
  having 
  taken 
  place 
  and 
  

   the 
  moth 
  resuming 
  its 
  efforts 
  to 
  escape, 
  these 
  angular 
  pro- 
  

   jections 
  must 
  give 
  effective 
  points 
  d'appui 
  for 
  the 
  necessary 
  

   forward 
  efforts. 
  

  

  I 
  add 
  some 
  notes 
  of 
  the 
  actual 
  observations 
  : 
  

  

  Agrotis 
  comes, 
  June 
  14, 
  1919, 
  at 
  8 
  p.m. 
  (G.M.T.). 
  Found 
  

   a 
  pupa 
  lying, 
  as 
  it 
  happened, 
  on 
  its 
  back, 
  with 
  the 
  imago 
  

   so 
  far 
  emerged 
  that 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  front 
  piece 
  of 
  the 
  pupa 
  

   reached 
  only 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  femur 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  pair 
  of 
  

   legs, 
  the 
  femora 
  and 
  tibiae 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  pair 
  of 
  

   legs 
  projecting 
  angularly, 
  the 
  tarsi 
  being 
  still 
  covered 
  within 
  

   the 
  pupa 
  case, 
  giving, 
  from 
  the 
  tibio-femoral 
  joints 
  standing 
  

   away 
  from 
  the 
  pupa, 
  a 
  rather 
  unusual 
  aspect. 
  On 
  the 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  moth 
  was 
  a 
  globule 
  of 
  clear 
  fluid. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  

   minutes 
  this 
  fell 
  off, 
  then 
  a 
  rather 
  larger 
  globule 
  appeared 
  

   during 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  ; 
  this 
  also 
  fell 
  off, 
  and 
  the 
  insect 
  still 
  

   lay 
  motionless. 
  A 
  trace 
  of 
  fluid 
  again 
  appeared. 
  Then, 
  

   suddenly, 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  active 
  movements 
  the 
  pupal 
  case 
  was 
  

   left 
  and 
  a 
  rapid 
  rush 
  was 
  made, 
  but 
  brought 
  to 
  a 
  standstill 
  

   almost 
  at 
  once, 
  a 
  place 
  suitable 
  for 
  expanding 
  the 
  wings 
  

   being 
  found; 
  this 
  occurred 
  about 
  8.15. 
  

  

  A. 
  comes 
  spins 
  a 
  loose 
  cocoon 
  underground 
  ; 
  it 
  seems 
  a 
  

   reasonable 
  hypothesis 
  to 
  suppose, 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  stage 
  of 
  

   emergence 
  observed 
  the 
  cocoon 
  would 
  make 
  some 
  impedi- 
  

   ment 
  to 
  further 
  advance, 
  and 
  the 
  fluid 
  was 
  intended 
  to 
  

   soften 
  the 
  cocoon 
  or 
  the 
  earth 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  laid. 
  The 
  fluid 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  come 
  from 
  somewhere 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  

   labial 
  palpi 
  ; 
  certainly 
  it 
  had 
  nothing 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   boscis, 
  which 
  still 
  lay, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  pupa, 
  straight 
  down 
  in 
  

   front, 
  its 
  extremity 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  pupa 
  case 
  ; 
  the 
  labial 
  palpi 
  

   were 
  also 
  deflexed, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  pupa, 
  straight 
  

   down 
  in 
  front 
  (^. 
  e. 
  along 
  the 
  venter). 
  

  

  Triphaena 
  fimbria, 
  June 
  15, 
  1919. 
  

  

  9.10. 
  p.m. 
  (G.M.T.). 
  A 
  pupa 
  that 
  was 
  normal 
  20 
  

   minutes 
  ago 
  has 
  the 
  abdominal 
  segments 
  

   stretched. 
  

  

  